FEATURE ARTICLE

Temple Chima UbochiSunday, November 5, 2017
[email protected]
Bonn, Germany

NIGERIA: A COUNTRY UNDER SPELL (1)

As clouds and wind, without rain, so is the one, who maketh promises, but never giveth (Proverbs 25:14)

Like a broken tooth, and a tottering foot, is confidence in a perfidious man, in the days of calamity (Proverbs 25:19)

All men by nature are equal in that equal right that every man hath to his natural freedom, without being subjected to the will or authority of any other man; being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions (John Locke)

hat Buhari would be a bad ruler was never a question to many of us with discerning mind, but, we never envisaged that he would be such a catastrophe. Infact, Buhari has negatively exceeded our expectations, of him. He's nocent (harmful) to Nigeria, but the problem is that he gives no damn about it, and Nigerians are not standing up to him due to fear. Buhari should know that earthly life or power is temporal. Nigerians should also know that Justice Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), who was a U. S. Supreme Court Justice, as recorded in US Supreme Court, American Communications Association v. Douds, 339 U.S. 382, 442 (1950), wrote that "It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error." Also, Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), who was an English explorer, linguist, author, and soldier, wrote "Do what thy manhood bids thee do, From none but self expect applause: He noblest lives and noblest dies. Who makes and keeps his self-made laws."

Having Buhari as a president of the country seems now a curse; so, Nigeria must have been under spell to be having only bad rulers, all along, even when we've been striving to get it right. Those who thought, in 2015, that Buhari would be the "Savior" of Nigeria are now keeping a deafening silence (no longer saying how Buhari will bring down heaven on earth in Nigeria again); they should please un-mute themselves. Those people should know, as Plato (429-347 BC) wrote, that "Your silence gives consent." During the campaign, in 2015, some of them were deceiving themselves that PDP was all that went wrong with Nigeria. Today, APC has proven to be worse than PDP. The "Saint Buhari" they told us will fight corruption, is even now corruption personified. This proves that PDP was not the problem of Nigeria, and that Buhari is not the solution to Nigeria's problems. Rather, the system, in place, in Nigeria, makes it imperative that even an angel will fail as a Nigerian president. We need to do something about this, and fast, too.

Before getting to the corruption issue, let me remind anybody blaming IPOB or the Igbos for the Biafran issue that he or she is making a mistake. Let me reiterate it again that the agitation for an independent Biafra was like a sleeping Volcano, it was always there quite well, but was only simmering. IPOB was there when Obasanjo, Yar'Adua and Jonathan were presidents, but the agitation for Biafra was not so forceful and inevitable then, as it's now, because those three former presidents, during their respective tenures, ignored Nnamdi Kanu. But Buhari, who claims to kow better than everybody, when he knows nothing, fell into Nnamdi Kanu's trap by arresting him, thereby giving him the attention he craves, and then the Biafran Volcano erupted.

There's no going back now; it might be getting knottier, if actually the Niger Delta Avengers are for real this time around. The latest, according to Premium Times, is that The Niger Delta Avengers, a group of militants that struck oil installations in Niger Delta region last year, has announced an immediate end to its ceasefire with the Nigerian government. In a statement posted on its website, Friday, November 3, afternoon, the group said it would resume hostilities any day from now, saying the Buhari administration has not been sincere with its peace talks and promises for the Niger Delta.

The news is a vexing one for so many of us, because we have been asking how the Avengers just disappeared and nobody was hearing from them again. Even their website was not updated since 2016. Many put their hope on the Avengers to use force majeure in bringing about a better Nigeria, whether it's restructuring or outright break up; and they were doing fine until they just disappeared without any trace again. That's the problem with those "hungry" agitators, who would come out to claim they're fighting for their people, only to be appeased with "bones", and like dogs, they will revert to a corner to enjoy the booties alone, forgetting those they were claiming to be fighting for. Probably, the Avengers were "appeased", and they forgot their "mission", and were enjoying themselves. Now, may be, the booties have finished, and they've started threatening fire and brimstone again. The Bible says, in Proverbs 26:11, that "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly". Also, Edmund Burke (1729-1797), who was an Irish-born British statesman, parliamentary orator, and political thinker, wrote that "It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare."

The Avengers are big time disappointers; in that they should have come out earlier to support Nnamdi Kanu, in his travails, as birds of a feather. Afterall, Kanu was hoping and banking on their support, but, they just disappointed him. A person called Paul, in his opinion in PT, "wonder why the Avengers did not make this announcement at the height of Biafran agitations? This would have been very interesting. I suppose the treatment given to Nnamdi Kanu and Biafran agitators is what has spurred these Niger Deltans to action. Now they know that Nigerian Govt can never be trusted. And the rest of Europe and America cannot be trusted too". Also, Nobly Deltan added: "My heart gladdens and my joy knows no bounds to learn that finally our beloved Niger Delta Avengers are back and resolute in realizing a sovereign nation where merit based appointments, equity, liberty, economic prosperity and much more will be the lot of those who inhabit it...a nation where a daft, dumb, clueless, murderous, terrorist sympathizing personality like Bokohari can never get close to any position of power however insignificant talk less of being president".

Back to Buhari and his war against corruption: Many of us who saw the future, in 2015, by warning Nigerians against electing a "wolf in sheep's clothing" called Muhammadu Buhari, have been vindicated by the events since his election as president. Buhari is interested in remaining the president after 2019 - he hasn't stolen enough; and as such, he wants to remain in power, and would contest for re-election in 2019. He needs money for that election. Nigeria is no longer selling enough oil, as the market is saturated with the entrance of the America's oil into the global oil market. So, instead of America buying Nigeria's oil, it's now exporting its own; and we know that many countries, which hitherto were buying oil elsewhere, are rushing to buy America's oil, as that will be an added leverage. Since America is still the leader of the free world, any country that buys its oil can also influence American foreign policy towards its direction.

Buhari can't raise enough again through stealing from the Nigerian purse; and the two Niger Delta states that have sponsored the last two Fulani presidents are no longer being controlled by Buhari's party, APC. Yar'Adua's election was sponsored by Delta State through James Ibori; and Buhari's election was sponsored by Rivers State through Rotimi Amaechi; even Obasanjo's re-election, in 2003, was sponsored, partly, by Rivers State through Peter Odili (Akwa Ibom, another rich state, is also out of Buhari's control). So, now, not being sure of how to raise enough money for his re-election, Buhari is trying to do everything he can to be financially buoyant in 2019. Buhari is desperate and doesn't want any formidable challenger in 2019, and anybody who tries to raise his head is being bullied one way or the other. Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president, declared his intention to challenge Buhari in 2019, and few days later, the license of his container services company, at the Apapa Wharf, one of the biggest employers of labor in Nigeria, was revoked: Governor Fayose of Ekiti State declared his intention to contest as president in 2019, and few days later, EFCC went after his Finance commissioner, and weeks later, his G-Class Mercedes Benz (Jeep) mysteriously caught fire along Oshodi-Apapa Express Way, and Fayose narrowly escaped from the inferno, unhurt: Tinubu's first son just died, after a closed door meeting he had with Buhari, so, nobody knows if his son's death was a coincidence.

In order to checkmate Atiku's presidential ambition, knowing fully well that he has the money, Buhari is doing everything he can, and even dines with looters and criminals, as long as the money for his re-election will be there, and Atiku is frustrated. Buhari sacked Babachir Lawal, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and replaced him with Lawal's own God son, Boss Mustapha (a son replacing his father). Lawal and Mustapha hail from Hong, and are both Kilba (Tribe) in Adamawa State. How can Buhari claim to be fighting corruption when Lawal, as the God father of the new SGF, recommended him for his last post? The former and the new SGFs are from Adamawa State, and the move is to put Atiku out of presidential contention in that zone.

In order to raise enough money for his re-election bid, Buhari is bringing those who looted Nigeria, one way or the other, on board. Abdulrasheed Maina stole a lot, so Buhari will need part of the loot for his campaign in 2019. Despite his numerous criminal acts, I'm surprised that instead of getting him arrested, Buhari tried to reinstate Abdulrasheed Maina, a supposed criminal and fugitive, into office.

When the move to reinstate Maina backfired, and there was a public outcry, against it, Buhari feigned ignorance of the move, and ordered that Maina should be disengaged. But the Federal Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, made us to know, according to the Vanguard, that Buhari was aware of the reinstatement of the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina. Oyo-Ita was also quoted to have stated that she had warned the President against the controversial recall of the embattled former pension boss. The Paper went further to state that in the wake of the condemnation that trailed the recall and double promotion of Maina, President Buhari had ordered his immediate disengagement 24 hours after Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd), admitted that Maina, was posted to the Ministry of Interior by the Office of the Head of Service in acting capacity to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of the Director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry. Maina was in 2013 recommended for dismissal by the Federal Civil Service Commission, based on recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service. In 2012, Maina was accused of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion.

Only a gullible can believe that Maina was reinstated without Buhari's order. It was just as I noted, before it was confirmed, that there was no way the GMD of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, would award contracts worth billions of dollars without Buhari's knowledge, and days later, the GMD confirmed it that he was on a Buhari's mission. Baru's move was also a ploy to raise funds for the 2019 presidential election. The Minister of State for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, is wasting his time on that job; that his house, in Abuja, caught fire, few days after he reported the GMD of NNPC to Buhari, should be an eye opener for him. He should think of his life, first.

How can Buhari be fighting corruption, when Maina, who eluded arrest by fleeing, during Jonathan's era, resurfaced, few months ago, in the country, under his watch, and was rehabilitated; and still the EFCC, "searching" for him all along, claimed that they didn't know about it?

To be continued!

TIT BITS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4guMGpqTRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAJs3YJVFgI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy1p81WdwOU

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

IMAGES IN THE NEWS